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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · tube · chair · perch · squash · can · capital · season

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tube — a container
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — money
  14. can — to be able to
  15. perch — the fish
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. season — of the year
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. capital — a city
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com